Color display device



Dec. 21, 1965 GOLDSHOLL COLOR DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Oct. 9, 1963 INVENTOR. GOLDSHOLL United States Patent Ofiice 3,224,113 Patented Dec. 21, 1965 3,224,113 COLOR DISPLAY DEVICE Morton Goldsholl, Highland Park, Ill., assignor to The Sherwin-Williams Company, a corporation of Ohio Filed Oct. 9, 1963, Ser. No. 315,065 1 Claim. (Cl. 3528.3)

This invention relates, as indicated, to a device or rack for displaying a palette of colors, and more particularly to a device for displaying a large number of individual color chips of coating compositions of sufficient size that a better comprehension and basis for comparison of the color is transmitted to the viewer.

Modern paint merchandising methods in response to public demand must expose to the customer a very large number of sheets and tints of a wide variety of colors. At the same time, the size of the color chip should be suflicient to convey to the viewer an adequate comprehension of the color and to enable its comparison with neighboring colors as well as bits of fabric or other materials which the customer desires to match or complement. The problem of arranging a palette of colors to meet both of these desiderata is ubiquitous, and the present invention provides a convenient means for solving this problem.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, the following description and annexed drawings setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but a few of the various forms in which the principle of this invention may be employed.

The present invention may be better understood by having reference to the annexed drawings which are illustrative of a preferred embodiment of this invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a color display device in accordance herewith showing a supporting sheet having a plurality of color chip displaying flaps hingedly secured thereto in overlapping relation.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary partially cut away enlarged view of a portion of the device shown in FIG. 1 showing the details of the means of supporting the flaps on the supporting sheet.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of FIG. 2 and showing the fastening means in interlocking relation between the flap and the supporting means.

FIG. 4 is a much enlarged perspective view of a resilient fastening member for hingedly securing the flaps to the supporting sheet.

Briefly stated, then, the present invention is in the provision of a color display device having a planar color flap supporting sheet, or backing sheet, having a plurality of rows of perforations disposed in a plurality of spaced columns. A plurality of elongated color flaps are hingedly secured to the flap supporting sheet. Each of said color flaps is provided with a plurality of color areas forming a part of palette of colors. These color areas are disposed on at least one surface of the color flaps, and preferably on both front and back surfaces. Along one marginal edge of each color flap there is provided hinge pin receiving means preferably in the form of a tubular opening extending along the marginal edge, such as would be formed by folding a stiff paper or cardboard member along its longitudinal center line around a tube forming member, e.g. a wire member, and cementing the confronting surfaces together. A plurality of cut out spaced segments are provided intermediate the extremities of the flap and adjacent the marginal edge for the purpose of exposing the hinge pin in those segments. The spac- I long by about 1" wide.

ing between the segments corresponds to the spacing between the columns on the supporting sheet. A hinge pin is disposed in the hinge pin receiving means and fastening means are provided which coact between each of the flaps at a plurality of sheet spaced segments and each of a plurality of corresponding perforations in a row on the flap supporting sheet to hingedly secure the flap to the sheet. In order to conserve space and multiply the number of colors which may be displayed, it is preferred that the flaps be disposed in overlapping relation so that only a portion of the marginal edge opposite the hinge edge is exposed, thereby exposing a portion of each of the color chips on said flaps.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 1, there is here shown a color flap supporting sheet 2 having a plurality of horizontal rows of slots 3 arranged in spaced vertical columns. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the slots in each vertical column are arranged in staggered relationship, the purpose of such an arrangement being to prevent undue build-up due to the securing clips and providing proper spacing for the retaining clips as hereinafter more particularly described. The vertical columns, in the embodiment shown are three in number, and are evenly spaced. Each color flap 1 is supported at three points. Support at two points, or at more than three points may be used if desired.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the support sheet 2 is provided with a suitable bracket 10 which supports the sheet 2 in the manner of an easel for ready accessibility and visibility of the color flaps. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the color flaps are elongated rectangular sheets having a plurality of color chips 4 disposed on the surface thereof, the color chips being, in general, of sufiicient size to convey to the viewer an idea of the color and to permit comparison thereof with adjacent colors on the flap 1 as well as comparison with samples of fabric or other material for which a match or a complementary color is desired. As shown in FIG. 1, the individual flaps are supported in overlapping relationship, a large number of such flaps, e.g. 20, capable of being disposed on a given sheet 2. In one embodiment of this invention, the front and back sides or each flap 1 are each provided with color chips numbering as high as 20 on each surface each color chip being about 2%" The color chips 4 may be disposed in a random arrangement on the flaps 1, or they may be disposed according to a predetermined pattern having relation to tints and shades of a variety of hues of color all of which comprise a palette of colors in a given coating composition line, e.g. interior wall paints.

As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the elongated rectangular flaps 1 are provided along their top marginal edges 5 with a tubular configuration either integral with or secured to the flap 1 and adapted to receive a hinge pin 6. Hinge pin 6 is conveniently in the form of a straight wire piece coextensive in length with the length of the individual flaps 1. Along the marginal edge 5 and disposed at spaced intervals corresponding to the vertical columns of slots 3 in sheet 2, there are provided cut-out portions 7 so that the hinge pin 6 is exposed. Accordingly, whereas in FIG. 1 each of the vertical columns is composed of two sub-columns of slits or perforations 3 in staggered relation with respect to suc ceeding rows and there being three such vertical columns, the upper marginal edge of each flap is conveniently provided with three pairs of cut-out portions 7, the spacing between which cut-out portions corresponds to the spacing between the vertical columns on sheet 2 and the spacing of the sub-columns in each column.

In order to hingedly secure the flaps to the backing sheet 2, there are provided fasteners of the type shown in FIG. 4. These fasteners are conveniently formed of a resilient material, such as polyethylene, and are of generally U-shaped cross-sectional configuration having a base portion 9 and having legs 11 extending therefrom. Base 9;- is, desirably semi-circular in geometric configuration and is adaptedto receive and cooperate with hinge pin 6 to provide for free rotation of the flap about the hinge pin- 6. The legs 11 of the preferred fasteners of FIG. 4 are each provided with an elongated slot 12 which is adapted to interlockingly engage opposite marginal edges of the slots 3 in the backing sheet 2. The backing sheet 2 being of a stiff material, such as sheet metal, is easily accommodated by the slots 12 in the fastener of FIG. 4. The distal portions 13 of legs 11 are conveniently convergingly tapered in the direction toward their extremities to permit easier insertion of the fastener into the slots 3. Because of the resilient nature of the material, the distal extremities of the fastener in FIG. 4. are forced together by the combined effect of the opposing horizontal marginal edges of the slots 3 coacting with the tapered surfaces of the portions 13, the interlock therewith being achieved when the opposed marginal edges of the slot 3 becomes interlockingly seated in the grooves 12 by reason of the resilience of the fastener of FIG. 4. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each flap is supported at three points, succeeding flaps having the fasteners located in staggered relation with each other to prevent undue piling up of the flaps because of the proximity of succeeding flap fasteners 8.

As indicated above, a large number of color chip carrying flaps 1 may be supported so as to be hingedly movable with respect to the backing board 2 and in partially overlapping relation so that the lower portions of the color chips on the flaps are visible from beneath a normally overlying flap member 1. By raising a givenfla-p member, the full area of the color chip may be exposed, as well as the full area of color chips on the reverse side of a flap if such are provided. Thus, a palette of colors comprising as many as eight hundred tints, shades and hues may be displayed on a single board or rack.

The device of the present invention may be, formed from cardboard or from sheet. metal, the color chips being formed in the normal manner by applying a coating of the color to paper, cutting the paper to form chips of a predetermined size, and superimposing such chips on one or both surfaces of a flap member 1 by. any suitable means, such as an adhesive. In such manner there is provided a color display rack which provides means for displaying a maximum number of colors in a minimum amount of space, and at the same time providing areas of color of sufficient magnitude to enable a better appreciation of the nature of the color and a better opportunity for comparison of such color with a 00101 to be matched or complemented.

Other modes of applying the principle of this invention may be employed instead of those specifically set forth above, changes being made as regards the details herein disclosed, provided the elements set forth in the following claim, or the equivalent of such be employed.

It is, therefore, particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed as the invention:

A color display device comprising in combination:

(a) a rectangular planar color flap supporting sheet having a plurality of rows of rectangular perforations disposed in a plurality of spaced columns, the perforations in said rows being in alternately staggered relation,

(b) a plurality of elongated rectangular flaps disposed in overlapping relation on said supporting sheet each flap having a plurality of different color areas on each surface thereof, said color areas constituting samples of coating compositions in a palette of colors, each of said flaps having along one marginal edge thereof tubular hinge pin receiving means including cut-out portions in each flap corresponding to the perforations in said rows, for exposing a hinge pin at a plurality of spaced segments intermediate the extremities of said marginal edge,

(c) a hinge pin disposed in said tubular hinge pin receiving means and substantially coextensive with the length of said flap, and

(d) a substantially U-shaped resilient fastener having a base and a pair of equally longitudinally spaced leg portions extending therefrom, the space between said leg portions being at least equal to the width of said hinge pin, each of said leg portions having a laterally extending elongated slot adapted for engagement with opposite marginal edges of said rectangular perforation to interlockingly engage said fastener in said perforation, said fastener being adapted to fit into a cut-out segment of said flap and to engage in the base thereof the exposed portion of said hinge pin, whereby each said color flap is hingedly supported on said supporting sheet.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 915,887 3/1909 Richardson 12.916 X 1,618,664 2/1927 Kern 2068l 2,650,594 9/1953 Heilman 129-16 3,154,281 10/1964 Frank 3519 X FOREIGN PATENTS 551,657. 1/1923 France. 599,050 3/1948 Great Britain.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

HARLAND'S, SKOGQUIST, Assistant Examiner. 

